Tag: Cross Country: Northern Tier

From Tom:

Up early at the lodge, I headed out to the garage where our bikes were stored overnight since they don’t allow bikes in the lodge. For those who don’t know, we always take our bikes into our room with us. Tonight as we were storing the bikes in the garage next to the lodge, I asked if I could get access to the bikes early. They said no problem as they don’t close the garage door and actually don’t ever lock any doors during the day or at night. We aren’t in Indianapolis are we???? 😁

I got bikes cleaned and the chains lubed up and we were ready for a few more days of riding. After a nice breakfast, we got the bags on, did our pushups/planks, had our morning prayer and were standing in the lodge parking lot when we saw a couple fully loaded bikes riding down the street and pull into the grocery store across the street.

You always have to say “hi” to fellow cyclists. We rode across the street and introduced ourselves to Roger and Laura from New Zealand. They are riding from East to West and spent a few weeks riding around Michigan to see family and friends since Laura grew up in Michigan. They are now continuing on to ride the Northern Tier route west.

We also met Marty, a local who came up to say “hi” and has a great talent of whistling. After a 45 minute chat we were on our way.

It was another beautiful day riding through the National Forest of Wisconsin. So far I have to admit Wisconsin has been my favorite state of “pure” bicycle riding of our trip.

We stopped for a coffee and took care of some needed phone calls. We planned on taking the SS Badger Ferry from Manitowoc to Ludington on Saturday. So Deb called the Ferry to get all the details. We wanted to take Sunday off and take the bikes to a bike shop to get our overdue tuneups. They don’t have mechanics in on Sunday, so we scheduled for Monday. So that gives us an extra day to get to the Ferry or an extra day off in Ludington. We will see how the next few days unfold with a forecast of rain.

On the bikes for another 20 miles or so before stopping for a great picnic lunch at a roadside picnic table in Conover. We continued our ride after lunch for few more miles before rolling into a gas station at our next turn. Up walk Dan and Tom who were very curious about what we were doing since they are both cyclists. They were heading home after a successful fishing trip. After a great conversation about cycling and fishing we were on our way for the last 30 miles of our ride.

We rolled into Crandon at about 6pm and decided to grab a motel since no camping was available and forecast of rain early in the morning. We called the Mainstreet Inn and I spoke with the owner. She mentioned she has availability of two queen beds for $52 a night. She mentioned she is out of town, but just grab room #13 key that is in an envelope in the black mailbox.

We weren’t quite sure what kind of place we were getting, but this is my favorite motel so far of the trip. We walked across the street to the drive-in and ordered a double cheeseburger with onion rings and strawberry shake 😁.

I have to say stepping back in time of motels, drive-ins, trusting people and not locking doors is pretty, pretty cool!!!

#acaNoTier Clam Lake to Boulder Junction, 83 miles | Gnats, Mosquitos and Deer Flies, Oh No!

We are getting closer to Lake Michigan and taking the SS Badger across it to cross our next state line but not before missing every opportunity to live the present moment well.

The day started out laying in our tent devising a plan of action to get out of the campground as fast as possible. The gnats and mosquitos were awful and we didn’t have any fresh water for cooking or washing.

Tom went out first and discovered a front flat tire on his bike. Wouldn’t you know it… a flat, no water for breakfast, swarms of irritating bugs and a flat tire. No problem though! Tom fixed the flat and I got the tent down and bags stuffed quickly and we were on our way by 7am.

Highway 77 was a stellar ride and the first 15 miles went by before we knew it. After second breakfast it was a day of riding much the same as the day before, lots of rollers (we love these), lots of taverns and properties for sale and more timber and lakes – all in a rural setting.

The deer flies though… I had no idea. These rather large buzzing flies like to dive bomb your helmet smashing their bodies against it. And they will wait to swarm until you’re climbing a hill at 4 mph with a raspberry poptart hanging out of your mouth. When you open your mouth to shoo them off, the poptart falls to ground. Here’s how it works:

Apparently there is research that concluded they prefer the color blue and objects that move linearly. Who knew?

We picnicked in Mercer and cycled on to Boulder Junction with the last 15 miles or so on a paved bike trail which we both agreed might have been the best bike trail ever.

We are hotelling it tonight to scrub off three days worth of sunscreen, dirt and bug juice. And we even found walleye fish sammie’s for dinner. #worthridingfor

Our evening ended with ice cream, a walk and planning the next day’s route.

#acaNoTier Haugen to Clam Lake, 85 Miles | Just an Ordinary Day on The Old Road

West central Wisconsin was gorgeous today. We traveled many country roads and although they are old, they are newly surfaced and infrequently traveled.

Tom says this may have been his favorite day of riding because of the backroads around the lakes, very little wind and although there was almost 3,000 feet of climbing it was hardly noticed because of the twists and turns in the route.

We opted to get dinner in town on our way to the campsite and again reworked our riding plans for the next few days until we get to the Manitowoc ferry. It’s tricky though, because campsites and hotels are scarce as are Warm Showers so it might change again depending how we feel and the weather.

We are now in our tent with a bazillion mosquitos buzzing around just waiting for one of us to emerge.

But… the loons are calling from Clam Lake so I’d say that’s a fine sound to fall asleep to.

#acaNoTier Osceola to Haugen, 69 Miles | From a Latin Mass to a George Jones Tribute Tavern

We started the day waking up in a luxurious king size bed with lots of clean fluffy pillows. Tom rolled out of bed first and went to get us some coffee. What a champ!

After eating a “free” breakfast with a couple of take-away muffins we were off to 8:30 am Mass at St. Joseph, which was just a block away from our hotel.

As we were going in an usher welcomed us and let us know it was a Latin Mass. Hummm I think we have only been to one in our lives.

It was very different. Gosh it’s hard to imagine what it would be like to experience worship like this every Sunday. I find it to be more of an academic experience than a spiritual one as I tried to figure out the what and whys but I would go again!

And let me tell you, the servers at a Latin Mass bring a whole new meaning to the word Mass server.

We began riding about 10 am and our destination was Edgewater, about 85 miles away.

Rural Wisconsin does not disappoint! The county roads were peaceful, scenic and we even encountered a Classic car show in one of the little towns we rode through. It took all of our self discipline not to stop and stay a while. Brats, bevvies, cheese curds – anything you could ever want – but we pressed on.

Although we were shooting for Edgewater we adjusted our destination due to the heat and wind and ended our ride in Haugen, a very small town that had a nice local grocery and just celebrated 40 years of business. #buylocal

Jim, the proprietor, suggested a campground nearby and drew up some directions for us on his “special” stationary.

We’d set up a time to FaceTime with our kids and were eager to get to the campground so we could make that happen however we were having a bit of trouble finding it. Awww those times when you’re tired, hungry, thirsty and want to be done.

Finally we rolled into the Shady Rest Campground and Mike offered us an air conditioned cabin however we opted to camp. Ya know…. we have that camping for cash challenge going on. Every camp night earns $18 for Back on My Feet or St. Vincent de Paul.

We were able to FaceTime with our kids for only a short bit and then we found that George Jones music is alive and well in west central Wisconsin. This little tavern named PoorFolks had every conceivable George Jones artifact. And the folks in there were a lot of fun to talk to.

We spent a bit of time visiting with them and then set up our tent and took a walk down by the lake. Both of us fell asleep immediately and I with my phone in my hand again as I was trying to get a post completed.

We had just a short sprinkle in the middle of the night as if being sprayed with a little holy water for making it all the way through a Latin Mass and darned if Tom and I didn’t both wake up at the same time to the sound of a guitar string breaking. Not kidding. It was as if old George was saying “good night”.

Today’s video features a song dedicated to Tom – with just days away from his half birthday. In these last few months in your 50’s you’re definitely still rockin’ if not on stage, on your bike. And you def don’t need no rockin’ chair, Tombo!

#acaNoTier Dalbo,MN to Osceola, WI, 55 Miles | Gratitude and Attitude

From Tom:

Gratitude was the theme for me today. As you know by now, I start my first 10-15 miles having an out loud conversation with God with my prayers for family, friends, special intentions, and more. During my prayers I always pray for my work, RND Group. I am so grateful to work for a company that encourages me to take time off for this wonderful adventure.

How blessed am I? I was thinking today that my 12th anniversary with RND is coming up in a couple of weeks and it got me to think of gratitude of everything that has happened in that 12 years.

I met the love of my life, my best friend, and she said “yes” to marrying me
Deb has made me feel there is nothing I can’t accomplish!
With marriage came four more beautiful children in my life (and two grandchildren 😁)
I ran the first marathon of my life, followed by 50 more in 50 states
The adventures are more than I can count
My children have grown up to be more than I can ever imagine
I am so grateful to have the health to ride my bike across the country

I could go on and on for a long time of gratefulness, but here is today’s ride.

We woke up in the bunkhouse, made coffee, packed up, said our good mornings/goodbyes to our new friends as we all ventured off on our bikes in different directions.

After riding a couple of centuries back to back, we decided to keep today’s ride a bit short with a destination of Osceola, 55 miles away. We can control our distance, but we can’t control the wind. Most of our ride was dead south and we saw the flag blowing from the south before we ever pulled out of the bunkhouse driveway. We chugged along mile after mile against the wind. Our legs were ok at the beginning, but the wind just wears on you over time.

We stopped at mile 25 at noon at a bar and grabbed a couple of chicken wraps with French fries and tater tots for Deb. Not too anxious, we jumped on our bikes and ventured on with 30 miles to go. The next 11 miles was dead South and “just suck it up” time. 😀😀😀😀.

With eight miles to go and with a bit of a lead on Deb, I rolled into Shafer and there was a saloon and I was totally out of water. I walked in to the saloon to fill my water bottle, and walked out with a couple of ice cold Summer Shandys.

Needless to say, the Debster was pretty happy for the attitude adjustment waiting for her on the front porch 😀🍺. Let’s just say the last 8 miles went a lot better as we crossed the Wisconsin border with 2 miles to go to our destination of the River Valley Inn.

We checked in, showered up and headed next door for a well deserved dinner. We came back, spread the maps out to plan our next few days after throwing a load of laundry in. Right now, I am typing up this blog and Deb is now folding the laundry 😁👍

We are looking forward to Church tomorrow morning with a Catholic Church within walking distance from our hotel 😁.

Well, signing off for the night.

#acaNoTier Sauk Centre to Dalbo, 100 Miles | Another Century, This One Not a Gimme

We were still celebrating our second century ride of the trip from Pelican Rapids to Sauk Centre when we decided we’d shoot for another century the following day and ride to Dalbo, Minnesota for our last night in Minnesota.

Yep it was a stretch goal since it’s a bit challenging to ride two 100 mile rides in consecutive days, the winds were not in our favor and it was a bit hotter. But… it was a stretch and those are the most gratifying goals to hit.

We got up with the sun at 5am, quickly packed up and decided to get breakfast on the road. But that wasn’t before serving as a breakfast buffet for the campground mosquitos as we did our planks and pushups before leaving. Little pests!

By 6am we were back on our fave Woebegone Trail that was an offshoot of the Central Lakes Trail.

By 9 am we had 15 miles under our belts, tires pumped up, breakfast at Charlie’s Cafe and we even were able to get to Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Freeport, MN.

We said goodbye to trail cycling a little east of Bowlus and alas returned to the road.

Tom found a place to get a haircut and decided to go “all in” or rather “all off” and requested a “1” all over. He is even faster now with that extra weight dropped and improved aerodynamics.

We could tell when we were getting close to a new town when grain elevators, water towers or a clump of trees appeared. We were clicking off the towns until Dalbo but still, with heavy bikes, loaded bags and a headwind every time we turned south, it wasn’t a gimme.

We saw two cyclists from England riding coast to coast in the opposite direction, Alb and Bod and we stopped to chat. They confirmed our goal and said, “Oh you don’t want to miss the Bunkhouse.”

Per the usual we never know exactly where our campground or hostel is located. We were wondering if we’d missed it when Tom said let’s go up one more house. Sure enough we spied the sign for Donn’s Bicycle Bunkhouse.

And it did NOT disappoint. There is everything a bike traveller would want. You can tell it’s a passion for Donn and Sherry. Their home, the property and the hostel are indescribably hospitable in impeccably clean.

Bunkhouse bunkies included Dan and Emily, westbounders traveling from Boston to Banff, and Roger and Kyle eastbounders like us on the Northern Tier route. Then Doug showed up while he was out on his 170 mile ride. He decided to stay the night too. All good peeps!

In fact, The Bicycle Bunkhouse is so comfty and clean we might do first AND second breakfast here.

Looking forward to entering Wisconsin tomorrow!

#acaNoTier Pelican Rapids to Sauk Centre, 104 Miles | Ding Ding! Ring that Century Bell Again!

Yep we did another 100 mile ride today!! The morning started with 25 miles on rural rollers and a sweet tailwind. We’d planned ahead to snag a second breakfast in Fergus Falls.

You don’t stop in a Minnesota town named Fergus Falls without getting second breakfast at The Viking Cafe.

We sat at the counter since it was packed and got to talking to Ed at the counter – he asked what kind of bike Tom rode. When Tom said an REI Co-Op he looked puzzled. He thought we were riding motorcycles. 🤣

We’d planned on staying at a Warm Showers but since the winds and riding conditions were so favorable we decided to try to power through and ride a century today. Plus we were very well rested from our day off on July 4.

There are multiple conditions that make for a good ride. Today we experienced them ALL. After Fergus Falls we were on a bike trail. All. Day. Long. That meant not using our mirrors, yelling “car back” or even turning on our blinking lights. #bikenirvana

Plus there was a steady tailwind, flat terrain, no traffic and multiple small towns to stop for Paydays and ice cream.

We met Steve who is in training to ride around Banff soon with VBT. We chuckled at the saying on the back of his jersey, “Keep Calm and Cycle On.” Go Steve!

With just 15 miles to go we met a family at the best place to get ice cream in Minnesota.

Ya know ya think ya might be doing something extraordinary until you meet a guy like Eric who rode a 36″ wheel unicycle 150 miles from Houston to Austin in two days. #stellar

We are camped in a beautiful city park right by one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes.

Tomorrow we are actually setting our alarm clock for 5am in hopes of getting an early start to reach Dalbo which is 106 miles away. This would be quite a stretch goal for us as we rode 100 today and the riding conditions won’t be as favorable. But… nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And there is a cyclist bunkhouse that is supposed to be a “must see” so we are motivated.

And oh yea… this happened today – let’s call this not a milestone, but a “smilestone”.

We really need a refresher Arthur Murray dance lesson. It was a sweet emotion hitting this mark but seriously we need some choreography help.

Last but not least, happiest of birthdays to our darling Annie! 💓

If there are issues watching the vid, click here to watch today’s video ride recap on my YouTube channel.

#acaNoTier Fargo to Pelican Rapids, 60 Miles | Should We Stay or Should We Go?

Hummm where to begin…

The morning started with waking up in my sister’s cute little camper, both warm and dry.

We were exceptionally grateful since another wind storm/thunderstorm rolled through the night before in Fargo.

We knew rain and wind was forecasted so we quickly packed up and decided to get coffee and a breakfast sammie on the road.

The big question… should we stay in Fargo or go? We decided to stay – for a minute. And then we went.

Something about the way ACA connects alternate routes and maybe because neither of us are navigation aces (especially me) we set out on a path that led us to backtracking three miles (total of six miles) out of the way.

That wasn’t the funniest part. We stopped for breakfast at a gas station and people kept saying “storm’s coming, be careful” – which we already knew. So when we were taking off we began in the wrong direction… in the rain.

We will pretty much always take that gamble. If it doesn’t work out there is never a blame game. We decide together and if we are all in, we are all in.

Welp… the rain and the head wind came like I’ve never seen it. Tom was ahead of me making progress and slowly pulling away but I had my bike in granny gear pedaling with all my leg strength and only getting 4-5 miles an hour out of it.

Coincidentally I was in my fifth decade of the Sorrowful mysteries (the crucifiction). Talk about a great way to focus on y’alls prayer intentions. I was on total focus while getting beat up by the storm.

I could see Tom stopping ahead. The wind and rain were just pelting both of us.

Just where Tom stopped there was a Catholic Church on the right, St. Cecilia and a C-store on the left.

The church was locked but the store was open. We really needed some shelter and food and relief from that pelting rain.

The clerk said there was a tavern around the corner. We were open to drying out and some food but when we walked out of the C-store the rain had stopped.

What to do? Stay at the tavern for food and to dry out or go and push on to the city of Downer (yep that’s actually the name of the town) about 10 more miles.

Deciding together we opted to bike to Downer where there was another tavern to get food. In these little towns it’s most always a c-store (convenience store) or tavern for food options. That’s it. No Panera bread, no salad bars and definitely no Starbucks for bento boxes.

We straddled that storm front for 10 miles but no more rain. The cross wind however was a nice little foreshadow of how the rest of the day was going to go.

We came out of the Downer tavern to sunny skies and WIND. And it wasn’t a tailwind.

We rode strong cross winds and head winds the rest of the day. It was pretty exhausting for me. Tom was also working hard to power through.

We arrived in Pelican Rapids, a small lake community that earns the title of having the largest pelican in the world. The video looks like the icon is hurling but it was due to an unintentional camera angle.

Other highlights of the day included entering Minnesota, our fifth state. Unfortunately no state line pic was doable because of the storms.

We also saw a herd of bison and a shoe fence that fancied every type of shoe apparel on its fence posts. If you’re not sure why just google it.

We are taking an official rest day on July 4th due to more rain in the morning, headwinds and increased lake traffic in the area.

We did a little route planning in the city park with our C-store purchased coffee on our day off and have figured tomorrow we will reach our half way point. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Since we have cycled the Michigan UP before and the official NT route takes us through Indiana we’ve opted to take the ferry out of Manitowoc to Ludington and then take the Erie Connector to get back on the Northern Tier route.

We are hoping to get an early start on July 5th with no decisions as to whether we should stay or go.

God Bless America 🇺🇸…. and add to it, God Bless the World. 🌏🌍🌎

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#acaNoTier Enderlin to Fargo, 56 Miles | Fab Fargo